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BuDGet 2020 Business rates cut for small leisure firms AM2
Business rates in England will be abolished for one year for fi rms in the leisure and sport sectors with a rateable value below £51,000.
This means that thousands of small fi rms – from gyms to sports clubs – will not pay any business rates in the coming year.
The announcement was made by chancellor Rishi Sunak, who delivered his fi rst budget in the House of Commons on 11 March.
The measure is an expansion of a pledge, made in the 2019 Conservative manifesto, which outlined plans to increase business rates discounts for cinemas and restaurants (with a rateable value of less than £51,0000) to 60 per cent. HCM AM sb so
Sunak said the 60 per cent pledge would be extended to 100 per cent in order to help the businesses weather the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
He then added: "Gyms and sports clubs wouldn't have originally benefitted from the rate discount – but they could be some of the hardest-hit.
"So, for this year, I have decided to extend the 100 per cent retail discount to them as well.
"That means any eligible retail, leisure or hospitality business with a rateable value below £51,000 will, over the next financial year, pay no business rates whatsoever." More: http://lei.sr/6w2u9_P CLAD Read moRe online
■■Sports clubs will be among the businesses to benefi t from the cut
Any eligible business with a rateable value below £51,000 will pay no business rates Rishi Sunak
Grassroots FunDinG lo leisure opportunities leisure opportunities
Sport England begins period of 'significant flexibility' LM
Previously-agreed KPIs, targets and conditions within the funding agreements signed off may no longer be relevant, appropriate or proportionate given the drastically changed circumstances Sport England
Sport England has initiated a threemonth period of "signifi cant flexibility" as part of plans to off er targeted support to organisations struggling with the eff ects of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
As well as helping funded organisations, the grassroots body said it would do "everything it can" to encourage people to stay active, wherever possible, as keeping fi t is now "more important than ever". In a statement, Sport England said that previously-agreed KPIs, targets and conditions within the funding agreements it had signed off "may no longer be relevant, appropriate or
■■Sport England will now focus on getting people active
proportionate" given the drastically changed circumstances.
Instead, it is switching its focus supporting the sector and encouraging people to stay active, not on asking organisations to report on previously agreed conditions. More: http://lei.sr/k6X5h_P Read moRe online
arena project
Manchester Arena redesign to make it 'largest in Europe'
We are still in the process of consulting with our partners John Sharkey
ASM Global has revealed plans to increase the capacity at its Manchester Arena venue to 24,000.
As well as an increase to capacity, the initial proposals for a redesign of the arena – drawn up by architects HOK – include the creation of an additional concourse level to house VIP boxes and lounges, as well as F&B outlets. The designs also feature a new "worker bee façade" – in honour of the city's symbol, the Manchester bee – and upgrades to the venue's access infrastructure, in order to improve the people flow between the arena and the close-by Manchester Victoria station.
■■The work would see capacity increase to 24,000
In a statement, John Sharkey, executive vice president European operations for ASM Global, said: "These plans have been made public earlier than intended, as we are still in the process of consulting with Manchester City Council, our neighbours and landlord on the design – their input and involvement in this journey will be crucial. More: http://lei.sr/g8H4n_P Read moRe online
major events
New dates for Tokyo 2020 and Euro 2020
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will now begin on 23 July, 2021 and run to 8 August, after being postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Games will still be called "Tokyo 2020" despite taking place in 2021.
The Paralympic Games, originally due to start on 24 August, 2020, will now take place between 24 August and 5 September, 2021. In a statement, IOC president Thomas Bach said: "I am confident that, working together with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Government and all our stakeholders, we can master this unprecedented challenge. "Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games can be a light at the end of this tunnel." Meanwhile, Football's European governing body UEFA has postponed its flagship national team competition, Euro 2020, by a year.
The event was due to be played in June and July this year, involving 12 cities across Europe. The tournament will now take place from 11 June to 11 July 2021.
"Moving EURO 2020 comes at a huge cost for us," said UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin. More: http://lei.sr/C7j3e_P Read moRe online
■■All of the Tokyo venues were completed in time for the Games
Working together, we can master this unprecedented challenge Thomas Bach
coronavirus Sector leaders welcome help for self-employed AM2
Physical activity sector bodies have welcomed the government's measures to help the UK's self-employed workers during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced on 26 March that those who have suffered a loss in income will be eligible to a taxable grant worth 80 per cent of their profits – up to a cap of £2,500 per month. Called the Coronavirus Self-employment Income Support Scheme, the grant will be available for three months in one lump-sum payment and will start to be paid from the beginning of June.
The scheme will be open to those with a trading profit of less than £50,000 in 2018-19, HCM AM sb so
or an average trading profit of less than £50,000 between 2016-17 and 2018-19.
The financial support for the self-employed is broadly in line with company employees, who will receive 80 per cent of their wages subsidised by the government. In a joint statement, CIMSPA, ukactive and Community Leisure UK said: "This support will be hugely reassuring for the estimated 60,000 self-employed people working in the sport and physical activity sector.
"A recent survey showed that 95 per cent have already experienced significant financial losses as a result of the Covid-19 crisis." More: http://lei.sr/a7u4j_P CLAD Read moRe online
■■There are around 60,000 self-employed workers in the sector
This support will be hugely reassuring for the sector's selfemployed workers Tara Dillon, CIMSPA
major project lo leisure opportunities leisure opportunities
Chelsea puts stadium on hold as planning permission expires LM
Chelsea Football Club has put its plans to build a new stadium on hold until "economic conditions improve".
The English Premier League received planning permission in 2017 to build a 60,000-seat venue at the site of its current Stamford Bridge stadium. The new stadium was expected to cost around £1bn to build.
In a statement, Chelsea FC said it would not look to utilise the planning permission it had received.
"We acknowledge that the planning permission we obtained expired on 31 March 2020," the statement reads.
■■The club received planning permission in 2017
"We're grateful to all our fans and stakeholders for their patience and understanding in the matter.
"We will continue to consider our options for a new stadium, should economic conditions improve." More: http://lei.sr/V2S3V_P Read moRe online
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pitcHinG in Sport gets stuck in with relief efforts AM2
Sports clubs and organisations have launched initiatives to help ease the pressures on local communities and the National Health Service (NHS), created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has opened his two hotels in Manchester to NHS staff, to help with the crisis. The two hotels have now been closed to the public, freeing 176 beds for NHS and other medical staff. A number of football clubs have also joined the relief effort. League Two club Stevenage and Scottish club Stenhousemuir have introduced a number of measures, from players phoning fans to volunteers HCM AM sb so
doing shopping for those most vulnerable.
The clubs have created phone and online carelines, which will provide those who might otherwise slip through the usual safety nets when forced to live the next weeks or months behind closed doors. English Premier League club Watford has launched a campaign to help elderly and disabled fans who are forced to stay at home during the outbreak. The "Hornets at Home" initiative will connect fans who are prepared to help those who need it most. Other clubs to have launched initiatives include Aberdeen FC, Blackburn Rovers and Eastleigh FC. More: http://lei.sr/P9X4a_P CLAD Read moRe online
■■The Hornets at Home initiative will help the elderly and disabled
Data lo leisure opportunities leisure opportunities
Website offers 'live' feed of coronavirus' effects on sport LM
Technology firm Purple WiFi has launched a live data website, offering a real-time, visual representation of the effects of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic on leisure industry sectors globally. Utilising the company's billions of footfall data points, Purple's data scientist team has constructed the live charts to help visualise the impact felt in a number of sectors. Among the key findings is that cancellations and postponements within the US sports market has led to an 87 per cent decrease in the number of visitors to stadiums, arenas and other sports
■■ Professional sport has been hit hard by the outbreak
venues across North America – costing the industry an estimated US$5bn.
The US hospitality sector is one of the industries worst hit, with a 77 per cent decrease in hotel guests across the region, while restaurants have seen a significant decline in footfall too. More: http://lei.sr/H9e2g_P Read moRe online
reLieF eFForts
Welsh facilities being converted into hospital wards
Leisure centres and stadiums in Wales are being transformed into emergency hospital wards, as part of measures to tackle the unprecedented challenges placed on the NHS.
Selwyn Samuel Centre in Llanelli, Carmarthen Leisure Centre and the Parc y Scarlets stadium in Llanelli are among those being used to create hundreds of additional hospital beds. Parc y Scarlets is the home of Pro14 rugby union club Scarlets, which made the decision to hand over its venue to help relieve the strain on services after discussions with
■■The home of Scarlets will be turned into a hospital
Carmarthen County Council and the Hywel Dda University Health Board. "Community has always been a huge part of what we are about and in unprecedented times like these communities stick together," said Scarlets general manager of rugby Jon Daniels. "The health service and workers are doing an incredible job in challenging circumstances and we are happy to be off ering help and support in any way we can." More: http://lei.sr/E6m5h_P Read moRe online
Join The Movement campaign launches to get people active coronavirus
A new national campaign has been launched to encourage people to stay physically active at their homes during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) lockdown.
The Join the Movement campaign is designed to provide inspiration and trusted information to the public about how to keep fi t in and around the home during the pandemic. Funded by The National Lottery and created by Sport England, the campaign has its own online hub, giving access to a range of home workout options – including existing free exercise content and advice from organisations such as the NHS.
■■The campaign is designed to provide inspiration to the public about how to stay fi t at home
Added to that are workouts from popular influencers and major fi tness brands, such as Les Mills on Demand, The Body Coach (Joe Wicks) and FiiT – many of which are off ering extended free trials to help people get active at home. "It’s not just a means of maintaining physical health but also to support mental wellbeing and helping people to deal with the anxiety that this period will inevitably
More: http://lei.sr/e5C8R_P bring," said Sport England CEO Tim Hollingsworth.
"Despite this time of great uncertainty, we’re already seeing people fi nd fun and creative new ways to get moving and come together, even while staying apart.
"This campaign seeks to help bring together the best of that and encourages people to share what they're doing using #StayInWorkOut." Read moRe online
